Whirlwind
by thehappypursuit-182
Summary: Besides, he reflects, it's inevitable. //Trent&Courtney Trilogy


_**Whirlwind-**_

Besides, he reflects, it's inevitable. //Trent&Courtney Trilogy

* * *

o1. Courtney's unimpressed when she steps off the yacht. She surveys her opposition and scoffs- until she is met by a pair of green eyes. She stares back into them, somewhat transfixed, and she starts to feel dizzy. (But a good kind of dizzy.) She shakes her head, and the only thought that goes through her mind is that she wants him on her team- those eyes are too dangerous to be used against her.

o2. Trent's not sure if he likes it here yet... but he also knows that going back home won't be that great either. His dad will bugging him about school endlessly -even though it's the middle of summer- and probably ship him off to summer school. He then remembers that his friends urged him to find a girlfriend this summer. He shakes his head 'cause it's not as easy as it sounds. Besides, he'd rather have someone who liked him for him. You get what he means?

o3. When he doesn't end up on her team she's a little relieved. That way she won't have to spend so much time looking at those -gorgeous, mesmerizing, _enchanting_- eyes, which is a _great_ thing, because it's somehow reduced her to speaking like the female lead in a vampire romance novel.

o4. His team is... interesting to say the least. (He's not sure if that's a good thing.)

o5. The first challenge kills her, and she's fairly certain she's going home that night. One word passes through her head over and over again, _(failure, failure, **failure!**), _and for the first time in her life she's afraid of losing. (She does _not_ lose.)

o6. Trent has starting writing his will, 'cause he's fairly certain he'll be dead before the summer is over. Owen gives him a look as he's writing it and hesitantly asks if Trent's 'okay'. Trent smiles back telling him, 'Never better.' _Except he's not._

o7. She survives the first elimination, takes a deep breath, and reminds herself that she's got this. The fourth day there she discovers no one ever hangs around the campfire. _-It reeks of failure and desperation- _She claims it as her own and settles down to practice her Mozart piece on the violin.

o8. Every afternoon he hears music wafting from the camp site and he looks forlornly at his guitar and sighs. He hasn't played once since arriving at the island, so one day he packs up, heads out, and sits next to the girl playing the violin. She looks startled, so he passes a 'My name's Trent, you know, the opposition.' her way.

She nods. 'Courtney, of the Killer Bass.' He smiles, something she doesn't seem to do too often.

o9. It becomes a pattern, Courtney comes to play music, and within minutes he's infiltrated her quiet place. She doesn't mind much... he's a fairly decent guitar player. She happens to notice that he's been playing the same string for a while, in repetitions of nine, and she clears her throat. 'That sounds fine,' she speaks up, 'but plucking the string nine times sounds too heady. I think five reps would blend better with the rest of the piece.'

Trent smiles and nods. 'Okay.' She notices he goes back to plucking the string nine times.

She wonders if he's mentally competent.

1o. Silently, he wonders how she can be so ruthless during competitions, yet so calm playing her violin. 'What are you playing?' He asks one afternoon, interrupting her practice.

'Violin Sonata No. 4 in D major by George Frideric Handel.' She aims back, bow hovering over violin.

Trent nods. 'It sounds cool.'

'Yes,' she says, eyes shining, 'it is.'

In that one moment, he realizes he doesn't need to be afraid of her. (Though he still kinda is.)

11. She's pretty sure they're not friends. _But maybe they could be._

12. When the 'Big Sleep' challenge rolls around Trent realizes that they've already been paired up. Him with Gwen, her with Duncan. He's not sure if that was done intentionally on the producer's parts, but never the less, it's been done. As he's talking with Gwen he smiles at Courtney. She smiles back, continuing her manic pacing. He gets a sick satisfaction out of the fact that she only acknowledges Duncan by nodding.

13. He's no longer 'the boy with the green eyes' to her. He is simply 'Trent' now. (Though not much can be done about the fact that he still has those _insanely_ gorgeous eyes.)

14. He asks her why she plays the violin one day. She stops, mid-note, and shoots him a look. 'I play because I am good at it.' She returns, stiffly.

'That's no reason to play.' Trent grumbles to himself.

Courtney frowns at him. 'Why else would I play?'

'Because you enjoy it!' Trent says, throwing his arms up in the air, sending sheets of music flying.

She opens her mouth to say something, closes it, and returns to viciously attacking her violin with its bow.

15. She learned a long time ago that caring for others led to no good. Others only brought you down. But, reluctantly, she think she might care for Trent now. He might even be her _friend_.

She mentally berates herself for being so weak.

16. He's written a song for her. Not a soothing lullaby, or one of those bubbly pop songs they mutually _can't stand_, but a bold piece. One with character, and strength and _sforzando._

_Just like her._

17. The first time she hears it she lets down her defences and smiles, something she tries not to do in the presence of others. He beams back at her, and she's glad to make him smile. Afraid of showing weakness she states, 'It was good, Trent, but I feel the first section faltered a little on the tempo.' She's not sure why, but this makes him smile even more.

18. The dodge-ball challenge rolls around quickly, as much as they'd like to avoid it. Trent notices that Gwen still seems to be tired and frets, doting on her, because that's what he does.

He's the nice guy. The sensitive guy. He's the one that always has to make sure everything and everyone is okay. Besides, he reflects, it's inevitable. It has already been decided that he will end up with Gwen, so he might as well get used to it. He notices, in a lot of ways, she's a lot like Courtney. She's snarky, generally unfriendly but easy to talk to. In a lot of ways, though, she's different. _Good different?_

19. Every dodge ball that whizzes past her is a sign of survival. That she hasn't been eliminated from the challenge. That she's safe. On the other hand, though, every one of her dodge-balls that hits its target means that the chances of Trent getting eliminated are higher.

It's no wonder that they're losing, she's playing so half-heartedly. Then Duncan, her new-found saviour, comes up with a new tactic. In no time at all they've won the next two rounds, and Courtney finally looks at Duncan, _really _looks. She thinks she could grow to like him... if Trent approves, of course.

2o. He doesn't.

21. She's impressed that they win the Dodge-ball challenge -took long enough- but she worries about Trent. She chews her nails anxiously, wondering if they'll vote him off. No, she decides, they won't. He's popular with his team... too many people like him to vote him off. There, it's good.

'Now worry about yourself!' She commands, almost scaring herself.

22. He makes it through his first elimination process unscathed. Can't say the same for Noah though. He feels sorry for the poor guy.

That's when Trent knows he's not cut out for the reality show biz. He shouldn't be feeling sorry for other people- as far as he knows, people on reality show have no feelings... or souls. Courtney walks up to him later and smiles, congratulating him on making it through the day.

It shouldn't make him feel better, he knows, 'cause they're on opposite teams and for all he knows she could be playing him like a cheap violin _(pun unintentional)_. But it does.

23. She thinks that if she plays her cards right, she could end up on the island for a very long time. She's been making allies all along- Bridgette, Duncan... Trent.

Courtney doesn't think she can really call Trent an ally. They aren't from the same team, she's fraternizing with the enemy, but somehow _enemy_ doesn't feel right. She wholeheartedly trusts him... and that also doesn't feel right to her.

24. He's pretty sure his and Courtney's safety is guaranteed for the next challenge. It's a talent show.

As in music.

As in... what _else_ have they been doing in their spare time?

25. She barely registers the impact before she goes crashing down. Faintly, before she blacks out, she remembers landing near chips of wood.

Wood. _Wood! _Her violin! She bolts up, frantic, and no matter how many times someone tells her that she's lucky_ she _wasn't the one lying in pieces, it doesn't make her feel any better.

Her team's victory that night is bittersweet, and she forgets to wish Trent good-luck.

26. He hasn't seen her in two days. Two days! Just as he's about to call SWAT or something Bridgette flounces down the girl's stairs. 'Where's Courtney?' He asks, holding his guitar case.

She gives him a lopsided look, and he can't believe how out of the loop everyone is. 'She's inside. We're still trying to piece together her violin.'

'What?' Trent asks, his case slightly slipping.

Bridgette looks even more surprised. 'Didn't you hear? I kind of, accidentally, smashed it in the last challenge.'

'Oh.' Trent replies. He practices alone that day.

27. She's surprised by the knock on the door. 'Just a minute, Bridgette!' she calls out, adjusting her towel. Only it's not Bridgette. 'Trent?'

Trent adverts his gaze, blushing slightly because she's only wearing a towel. 'You coming to practice today?'

'My violin,' Courtney begins, 'is no longer playable.'

Trent rolls his eyes at her. 'Seriously, Court, who else will critique my work properly?'

She pauses for a second. 'I'll be there in a couple of minutes.'

28. It feels good to have her back at the campfire, telling him that section was too weak, the pitch too high, the tempo too slow...

Maybe slightly annoying, but now all is right with the world.

29. Courtney_ hates _camping. Absolutely _detests _it. As a fairly sheltered child born to a father who was an executive and a psychoanalyst mother, she has had no prior experience with tenting, nor did she feel the need to camp. City parks were her playgrounds, and she's filled with memories of multiple nannies bringing her to swing in the park, but she's never actually been tenting. Her parents were _far_ too busy, the nannies never quite suited her, and she had no immediate relatives (or friends) to take her tenting.

She _hates_ camping, because it reminds her that she's never had a normal childhood, with friends and parent who cared and fun.

She's bitter when Chris informs her they'll be tenting, because everyone around her lights up in fond memories of roasting marshmallows by the fire, and all she remembers is solitarily swinging back and forth, nanny close at hand, but still so, so, alone.

3o. Trent _loves_ camping. Just _adores _it. The only time his father ever looked or acted alive was when they were in the great outdoors, him&andhissister&dad. He thinks he's been taught every knot in the Boy Scout handbook, knows every tree, and knows how to pitch their four man tent _just so _to provide ultimate weather and wildlife protection. So they crowd into their four man tent (one less) him&andhissister&dad, and tell ghost stories and stuff marshmallows into their faces until they look like they are chipmunks.

He _loves_ camping, because it's the only time his dad doesn't think about the one less person in their four man tent, his mother.

He's feeling bittersweet when Chris says they'll be camping, 'cause he's got all these great memories all stored up, but this time his family isn't here with him. He wonders how his little sister is doing, how much dad's working, and if they set their tent up yet.

31. It's official, compasses hate her. She can't tell Nord from Sud, up from down, left from right. She relinquishes the compass to Duncan, who has the uncanny ability to be better than her at _everything that counts_.

Somewhere along the way they've lost Katie and Sadie, but she thinks the team is better for it.

32. This is the most chaotic, nauseating, frightening, _exhausting_ time he's ever had camping.

He can't wait to tell his sister and dad all about it.

33. They lose. Although Courtney hadn't had high expectations about this challenge, it stills frustrates her. (Though it's debatable to say if she's frustrated because she A: woke up next to a Neanderthal, B: is absolutely and positively soaked to the bone, C: might be sent home tonight, or D: finally realised her parents were right. Camping is horrible.)

She votes for one of the two twins that night (Katie? Sadie?), anyways, she's pretty sure she voted for the annoying one. She hopes. Yet, when Katie (Yes, she voted for the right one) leaves, she feels a little regretful. Now Sadie hasn't stopped crying, and it's justifiable, really. She can imagine that Sadie must be hurting right now. (She's not quite sure, she doesn't have much experience regarding friends.)

She should have voted for the Neanderthal when she had a chance.

* * *

-Pursuit


End file.
